Here We Go Again On Our Own

Our respite in Estes Park was brief but refreshing, not only because we got to rest our heads in the same place for more than a night, and not just because the setting of the cabin was spectacular (at sunrise, the mountain to the west lit up orange to welcome us to the new day),



and not just because we got in some gorgeous hikes, but mainly because Galen and Rose are such great company. We enjoyed chatting over meals, taking walks, and meeting some of their friends. Each time they went to introduce us, someone would look at Donnie and say "you must be one of Galen's brothers!". Yep, those Bethel genes run strong. Even watching them walk side by side, hands in pockets, there is no denying that resemblance.



We could have stayed much longer, but by not overstaying our welcome, we got an invitation to come back any summer and definitely will. Maybe we'll be able to stay long enough to see the various wildlife that shows up in their yard more than just the hummingbirds that we saw this visit.



Our new destination assigned by Whitney and Kevin Malick was Durango, Colorado. If you have a map handy you will notice that Estes Park is northeast Colorado while Durango is southwest Colorado and there are mountains in-between. We crossed the Continental Divide for the 9th time on this leg of the race! And if the route wasn't challenging enough, we decided to add on a side detour taking us to Great Sand Dunes National Park. This place was just odd; no other way to describe it. It is like a giant beach and a giant desert similar to photos I have seen of the Sahara but sitting at the base of mountains in the middle of nothing.



We hiked all the way out to the base of the dunes but didn't climb them. My calves were already on fire from walking through the loose sand and I thought I was in decent shape! Those little specks are people climbing up. We saw a guy with a sled. All I could think was "no thanks"! As with all our national parks, it was well worth seeing.



Next we were up and over Wolf Creek Pass and pulled into Durango in time to hit the SuperWalmart for our second oil change of the trip (yes, we have gone over 10,000 miles so far) plus we needed to buy Donnie a belt. I knew we had both been losing weight on this journey but seriously, the man now needs help keeping his pants up!

Stats:
478 miles
Camping cabin $51.30
Oil change $24
Gas $74.65
Groceries, ice, propane $38.83
Breakfast $18.56
Postcards $1.05

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